The use of telephone equipment has become so commonplace today that even to discuss such use makes little sense. But the reality is that the majority of communication connections are between two parties, each communicating from a standard telephone set. The communicating requirements of the public are becoming more sophisticated and so are the terminals which form the end points of such connections.
There was a time when a telephone station set had connected to it only a single telephone line. Thus, a user wishing to use two telephone lines required two telephones, usually sitting side by side on a desk. Advances in technology soon replaced the two telephones with a single multi-line instrument, thereby reducing the clutter and allowing for greater flexibility in the use of the telephone network.
This same problem is again beginning to be felt in that smart terminals, such as personal computers, are now appearing on many desks alongside the telephone. The great challenge is to incorporate such terminals into the communication patterns of users in a manner consistent both with efficient use of the intelligence of the computer and the efficient use of the telephone communicating network and its supporting switching equipment. Using such a combination of technical disciplines, users can be provided with communication services and operating procedures not even contemplated before.
As an example, many people who have had the experience of establishing conference connections between themselves and several other individuals each located at different remote terminals become confused as to the actual parties participating in the conference and even how to establish such conferences. As it stands today, at the very minimum, a user must manipulate a series of buttons on the telephone instrument, or flash a switch hook in a precise manner, to achieve a conference. During such a conference setup, there is inevitable confusion as to who is connected to the conference. As people enter and leave the conference, the confusion increases.